Learning to listen: Pursuing leadership strategies for achieving multiculturalism in educational administrative work environments

This dissertation examines how staff members situate themselves within the Modern Language Program at a large university in the Northeast, and investigates whether the daily practices and conflicts in the work environment are reflective of cultural diversity issues. This knowledge is intended to inform leadership practices in order to create a learning community which attempts to incorporate and empower culturally diverse perspectives in the work environment.;Drawing upon a research framework employing traditional qualitative methods such as interviews and autobiographies, subsequent chapters address obstacles to transformation from the perspectives of the participating staff members. The conclusions drawn from the initial research are then revisited in a learning session in order to start an open dialogue. This event marks a crucial part of the research as it represents the ongoing process of critical reflection which this study seeks to establish in this particular work environment.;The study suggests that staff members in the Modern Language Program recognize that cultural diversity influences interpersonal communication but have not learned to constructively confront and deal with these cultural differences. When other individuals act differently, a sense of discomfort arises and the flow of communication is disrupted, which influences the daily transactions of the environment. The study further proposes that leadership needs to facilitate discussions to raise awareness about social context, cultural beliefs and behaviors and involve staff members in critical dialogue in order to recognize the expectations, emotions and biases which individuals bring into communicative processes. The research also suggests that critical dialogue not only evokes greater understanding among staff members but also leads to more collaborative efforts in the work environment.;The findings of the study focus on the conditions necessary for staff members to be able to work toward a learning community, and on the nature of leadership and the development of leadership strategies which will aid in the creation of such a learning community. Such findings are of interest to researchers and practitioners in the fields of educational leadership, cross-cultural leadership, management of diversity, and scholars and leaders interested in research which problematizes conceptions of leading a culturally diverse environment.